Mammalian bone tissue is known to contain one or more proteinaceous materials, presumably active during growth and natural bone healing, that can induce a developmental cascade of cellular events resulting in endochondral bone formation. The active factors have variously been referred to in the literature as bone morphogenetic or morphogenic proteins (BMPs), bone inductive proteins, bone growth or growth factors, osteogenic proteins, or osteoinductive proteins. These active factors are collectively referred to herein as osteoinductive factors.
These osteoinductive factors are present within the compound structure of cortical bone and are present at very low concentrations, e.g., 0.003%. Osteoinductive factors direct the differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells into osteoprogenitor cells that form osteoblasts. Based upon the work of Marshall Urist as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,753, issued Oct. 13, 1981, proper demineralization of cortical bone exposes the osteoinductive factors, rendering it osteoinductive, as discussed more fully below.